GNU bug report logs - #7036
ls, mv, etc on LINUX

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From: help-debbugs <at> gnu.org (GNU bug Tracking System)
To: Bob Proulx <bob <at> proulx.com>
Cc: tracker <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#7036: closed (ls, mv, etc on LINUX)
Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:47:02 +0000

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Your message dated Wed, 15 Sep 2010 10:48:30 -0600
with message-id <20100915164830.GA9917 <at> hysteria.proulx.com>
and subject line Re: bug#7036: ls, mv, etc on LINUX
has caused the GNU bug report #7036,
regarding ls, mv, etc on LINUX
to be marked as done.

(If you believe you have received this mail in error, please contact
help-debbugs <at> gnu.org.)


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7036: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=7036
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From: Elisabet Wahlgren <elisabet.wahlgren <at> ericsson.com>
To: "bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org" <bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org>
Subject: ls, mv, etc on LINUX
Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:02:00 +0200

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Hi Guys,

Greatly surprised (and not very happy) that my attempts to list or move files satisfying a file name pattern (like ls *.tgz for example)  fail miserably on my linux machine, when the number of files satisfying the pattern is large. Error message example: "/bin/mv: Argument list too long". Is this a bug or a feature, would you know?

I used to work with a Unix version (Solaris) quite a number of years (decades) and cannot remember having seen this limitation before.

Any tips?

Regards,
Elisabet Wahlgren

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From: Bob Proulx <bob <at> proulx.com>
To: Elisabet Wahlgren <elisabet.wahlgren <at> ericsson.com>
Cc: 7036-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#7036: ls, mv, etc on LINUX
Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2010 10:48:30 -0600

Elisabet Wahlgren wrote:
> Greatly surprised (and not very happy) that my attempts to list or
> move files satisfying a file name pattern (like ls *.tgz for
> example) fail miserably on my linux machine, when the number of
> files satisfying the pattern is large. Error message example:
> "/bin/mv: Argument list too long". Is this a bug or a feature, would
> you know?

This is a long standing kernel limitation.  Because file glob
expansion occurs by the shell before program invocation this doesn't
have anything to do with any program.  The shell is running out of
space while trying to set up the command environment.

See this reference for all of the details:

  http://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/faq/#Argument-list-too-long

> I used to work with a Unix version (Solaris) quite a number of years
> (decades) and cannot remember having seen this limitation before.

It has been around forever in traditional Unix kernels.  Note that a
recent change has enhanced the Linux kernel to avoid this limitation.

Bob

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